There was an article recently written in regards to American Girl recently adding a type 1 diabetes kit to their store. Many of us have daughters that have type 1 diabetes and have American Girl Dolls. American Girl Dolls have been selling dolls for years that are made to be like your daughter. The child gets to pick the hair color, the eye color, the skin color, glasses, and many other choices to reflect the child. This has been a fun way for a girl to be able to celebrate herself rather than just with a Barbie doll that inaccurately represents what girls grow up to look like. American Girl even sells dolls with history and educates girls on different time periods and cultures. There are movies and books that tell these stories featuring the girls that are then sold as dolls.
But what if your daughter breaks her leg? or gets braces? Do they still feel as lovable as the girls in their class? American girl has been selling little wheelchairs and crutches and headgear for dolls to again validate what our daughters may be going through.
But what if your child is suddenly diagnosed with a disease? What if your world is turned upside down one day at a doctor's office when the doctor tells you that your child will be taken by ambulance to their nearest hospital because they may die if not treated? This has happened twice to us.
Our daughter was diagnosed at 3 and then two years later, our son was diagnosed also at age 3. No connection except for coincidence that they both happened to be age 3. Our daughter had been a healthy girl that suddenly stopped running. She was too tired to finish riding her bike around the block. She couldn't go to the bathroom enough. four times an hour. And yet she was still thirsty. What had we done to cause this? Nothing. It is an autoimmune disease. Her pancreas was dying. Therefore her body couldn't produce insulin for her anymore and her body was beginning to shut down. We didn't know anything about type 1 diabetes. I thought it must be a bladder infection. The doctor routinely did a urine test among other tests and that is what prompted an immediate call to the endocrinologist and an immediate trip to the hospital. I will never ever forgot the picture in my mind of her sitting listlessly on the floor of the doctor's office, playing with a nurse while I tried in shock to reach my husband by phone.
The picture on top shows the young girl that started a campaign with her mother to get American Girl also carry a diabetes kit like she wears so that her doll could also be like her. Because any child like her or my daughter once diagnosed, is burdened with a lot of equipment to stay alive. She no longer wanted a perfect doll that looked like her. She wanted a doll that also still smiled while wearing a pump that gave her body insulin, a meter to constantly check her glucose levels throughout the day. glucose tablets(smarties) to prevent passing out from too low blood sugar levels and a few other items.
The next photo shows a woman's son and his devices that he wears to stay alive and thrive. He is wearing an insulin giving device on his arm and his watch actually shows his glucose levels that is being transmitted by a different device.
The third photo shows a new device that is being developed through research that is actually leading towards a cure for type 1 diabetes. This involves introducing new cells into the body that the body won't reject since type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease.
The last photo is my son's continuous glucose meter that he wears and woke me up at 5 am this morning alerting me that his glucose levels were going too low. Thank goodness for these devices and alarms that keep him safe and healthy, yet a tired mom I am.
And this leads us to an article recently published by a natural health website. The author decided to critique American Girl's decision to sell type 1 diabetes kits for dolls. The author then decided to write as much uninformed propaganda that they could about parents of kids with type 1 diabetes, children with type 1 diabetes, and even that type 1 diabetes is already curable and caused by bad diets and bad parents and how could American Girl support such an atrocious thing??
Well...here's my rebuttal for anyone that takes garbage for fondue. Talk to a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes. Pay attention to the tears rolling down our faces as you ask us what type 1 diabetes really is and how it has affected our lives. We might even tell you about some kids we know about that actually have passed away from not being diagnosed properly or going too low in the night before they could be treated or ending up in the hospital sick with too high glucose levels and kidneys shutting down. Then we might tell you how amazing our child is. And that they are our heroes. They have taken hundreds of shots, site changes, blood work, lots of times pulled aside at school or in the middle of a soccer game to be checked. They survive and thrive. And so do we.
To: Natural News that thinks they know more than us; I hope you don't find yourself with a diagnosed child one day and have to join our club. Your ignorance may cost them their lives. The good news is that we would be there for you. we are far more educated and we are more gracious too. We would welcome you and support you as its not a fun club to have to join. But in our club, we don't condemn, we share coffee and wipe each other's tears. We keep each other going. Because we know how serious this disease is and yet have to keep strong for our kids. And this is why we love that American Girl has included a kit for our daughter's for their dolls. It's just one small thing that a company can do to help our daughter's still smile in a tough world with an unfair diagnosis. If you ever find yourself in this situation and across the table from us, drinking a coffee, we might even offer to buy you a type 1 diabetes kit to go with your child's American girl doll.
Because isn't that what it's all about? Helping kids and families to grow and thrive?
It easy to think that you have all of the answers until you are suddenly asked to live it.
As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from diabetes , i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
ReplyDeleteMy husband was diagnosed of diabetes and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, he had difficulty eating, and he always complain of stomach pain and he always have frequent urination . we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony by someone who was cured and so many other with similar body problem, and he left the contact of the doctor who had the cure to diabetes . I never imagine diabetes has a cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. diabetes has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098675@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my testimony
My son was diagnosed with a rare form absence status epilepsy. His seizures show no symptoms until the seizure has lasted for hours! The only warning we had was he started acting only tired at first then gradually he started acting confused and from there for 24 hours he didn't know what year it was, where he went to school, or even what grade he was in etc. his motors skills were perfect and he talked to everyone normal the entire time, he just couldn't answer certain questions. The hospital kept him overnight and gave him fluids and in 24 hours he slowly started remembering and they said he was good and sent us home. We know now that he was having a constant seizure the ENTIRE TIME of his confusion! Almost 3 months later he begins having the same symptoms when I woke him up for his 2nd day of school. we are sent for an EEG, which revealed at 10 am he was actually having what the neurologist referred to as the worst EEG he had seen) we then were sent to a different children's hospital where they observed him until 8:00pm, all this time my son passes every test, he is talking and his motor skills are completely normal! They finally begin his EEG around 9:00pm. It reveals he is still in seizure! They are blown away. Say they have never seen an absence case like his and they quickly gave him a big dose of adavan which immediately stops the seizure and he is able to regain his memory immediately. Does anyone have a child who has these same symptoms? His neuro doctor ordered a brain glucose test, but when we went for a follow up last week they said the test had been canceled and they had no idea what happened? When I asked if they were going to draw his blood and re do the test, they said that his medicine was controlling the seizures so far so they didn't feel the need to do the test! I need advice and some direction. I searched further; visited epilepsy websites, blogs. I find info about someone having the same symptoms. I was really determined. Fortunately for me, I stumbled on a testimony of someone who had epilepsy for several years and was cured through herbal medication. I read awesome stories of people whose condition were worse . But due to numerous testimonies. I was more than willing to try it. I contacted the doctor Gabriel, and my son used the Nectar herbs. It became a miracle for my son free from rare form absence status epilepsy within 3 months. The Nectar medicine worked without any trace of side effects on my son. totally cure. I decided to share my son story to tell people out there, that there is a hope for those with epilepsy using nectar medicine and anyone who suffers from seizures can be cured. Email dr.gabriel474@gmail.com
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